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Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 6, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco IOS SSL VPN
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
9th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
8.2
Number of Reviews
48
Ranking in other categories
SSL VPN (3rd)
Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of Cisco IOS SSL VPN is 1.2%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway is 6.7%, down from 8.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
 

Featured Reviews

Rupesh Kolhapurkar - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers easy setup phase but needs to improve connectivity
For our company's remote workforce connectivity, the tool was very useful during the COVID-19 situation. In general, the VPN functionality offered by the product was very useful during the COVID-19 situation. In terms of the product's ability to secure third-party access, the tool works very well. The most valuable feature of the product in terms of network security stems from the fact that the tool provides access to the whole network, and even if users give access to some special applications, it is still really helpful. The clientless access feature is not available for clients. My company installed the product for its clients. If the product offers a clientless access feature, then it is okay and can be very helpful for our company. I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. Cisco IOS SSL VPN is a reliable product. The product is very helpful for a work-from-home setup as the tool can be used to access our company's internal network, which Falls outside the network of our organization. I rate the tool a seven to eight out of ten.
MatsHagberg Olsson2 - PeerSpot reviewer
Designs subnets with high security while navigating evolving integration processes
The primary function of Azure VPN Gateway allows for designing subnets from existing networks, whether they are physical or virtual networks within Azure or other cloud instances. You can configure these networks using IP numbers and connect them using certificates or SaaS strings. It also requires Entra ID for privileged access groups, resulting in high security.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"With Cisco IOS SSL VPN, you can access your corporate data safely and securely."
"It is a product that is very robust and durable."
"The solution is very stable."
"The split panel functionality is much better in the Cisco IOS SSL VPN than in the Aruba VPN."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN is stable, and once we connect, we don't face any issues and can do our work."
"It is highly scalable, speedy, and reliable."
"The platform provides value and benefits to our organization through efficient and effective communication."
"The solution's technical support is very good."
"The best feature is the ability to connect from anywhere."
"It is a stable solution in our company, and we monitor critical health and performance parameters daily and weekly."
"I like the stability, HA, and performance of the product."
"The interoperability with various firewall and access gateway vendors is one of this solution's most valuable features"
"It is scalable and depends on your chosen network bandwidth."
"The product has valuable virtual machines, viability options, and enhanced VPN services, enabling the option to use it in different zones."
"You can configure these networks using IP numbers and connect them using certificates or SaaS strings."
"The Azure tool is useful and powerful and availability for clients. The updates are very good and reliable."
 

Cons

"The solution's configuration could be made easier."
"It would be helpful if Cisco IOS SSL VPN could help us set up devices on our iPads and phones."
"When many people are using the internet at home, which is usually right after dinner, this type of service is a little bit hard to use. The internet becomes quite slow, and sometimes, I have to stop using this application. I am not sure if this issue is because of the application or my internet provider."
"The pricing is a stumbling block to scaling our utilization of Cisco products and we would prefer to use more of them."
"Multi-factor authentication in Cisco IOS SSL VPN has certain shortcomings that need improvement."
"The product's RPA tools need enhancement for simplified business process automation."
"The product costs a lot of money."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN doesn't support the configuration of multiple VPNs."
"The connectivity should be faster."
"Microsoft's support is rated at four due to issues such as speed of response and coordination difficulties."
"The instructions should have been more accessible and less time-consuming to find the best solution tailored for the customer."
"They should release a less expensive version of the solution."
"In future releases, I would like to see the ability to inject BGP routes."
"Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway could improve by providing IPS zero-day threat protection. For example, the IPS zero-day threat protection can monitor the user behavior to protect the infrastructure. The solution can only be used as a VPN, it is lacking features."
"The solution must provide metrics to monitor the inbound and outbound traffic easily."
"The instructions on how to integrate P2N and P2S type networks into Azure VPN Gateway could be improved, though it is a constantly evolving process."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool is expensive."
"There are no pricing programs for non-profit organizations and the product is otherwise expensive by comparison."
"With Cisco, there is a free solution or a licensed version of the solution with a set of endpoint services."
"It stands as the priciest solution available in the market."
"The licensing cost of the solution is on a yearly basis, and it is expensive compared to other solutions in the market."
"Users have to pay a yearly licensing fee for Cisco IOS SSL VPN."
"The pricing of the solution is reasonable"
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN comes with a cost-effective subscription."
"The solution is subscription-based and very cheap."
"The product costs us $140 to $180 per month."
"The costs are quite high."
"The software has good pricing compared to other vendors."
"I pay the licensing charges associated with the tool on an hourly basis. The tool is affordable."
"Payment for licensing the solution is part of the operating model. So, one needs to keep on paying while consuming the solution. In short, the payment is based on the solution's capacity."
"It's an expensive product"
"The cost could be lower."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
24%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Educational Organization
8%
Healthcare Company
6%
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco IOS SSL VPN?
The pricing for Cisco IOS SSL VPN is based on per user. For more than one hundred users, it costs about $60 per seat.
What needs improvement with Cisco IOS SSL VPN?
Compatibility can sometimes be a challenge. There have been issues with operating systems where newer updates cause problems with backward compatibility. For instance, Windows 11 ( /products/window...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway?
The instructions on how to integrate P2N and P2S type networks into Azure VPN Gateway could be improved, though it is a constantly evolving process. The instructions should have been more accessibl...
What advice do you have for others considering Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway?
I would advise comparing Azure VPN Gateway with other market leaders in this segment and referencing sources like Forrester and Gartner. It's crucial to look at which competitors in this spectrum h...
 

Also Known As

Cisco SSL VPN
MS Azure VPN Gateway
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

MST Systems
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.